Houma team tests method aimed at keeping oil out of marsh

Published: Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 10:54 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 10:54 a.m.

HOUMA — At one pass into Barataria Bay, BP and Coast Guard officials are testing a homegrown invention designed to better collect encroaching oil patches from the company’s leaking well.

The Coast Guard and BP could decide as soon as today whether they will use the so-called rigid pipe boom, officials said. The aim is to keep oil from passing through channels into inland bays and marshes, where it’s harder to remove and could damage already eroded wetlands.

Houma oilfield business owner Chet Morrison and engineer Kenny Smith pitched their idea to protect the coast with floating pipeline to BP and federal spill responders in early June, days after presenting their plans to the Terrebonne Parish Council.

The council endorsed the method and asked BP to put up $100 million to install the protection pipelines. They would be anchored to pilings driven into island passes to narrow the channels. Crude would be funneled into openings in the barricades for collection by skimmers and vacuum trucks on barges. Long curtains can be attached to the bottom of the pipes to deflect and collect underwater oil.

The testing involved 6,100 feet of boom that has been installed in Pass Coup Abel, south of Barataria Bay and east of Grand Isle.

“It works in high-velocity areas where the traditional flex boom has not worked,” Smith said, referring to the orange and yellow booms being used in coastal waters.

Last week, the 36-inch pipe booms were tested by throwing oranges and peanuts into the water, items that mimic the weight and size of oil patches and tar balls, Smith said.

“You’d think it would roll under the pipe,” said Parish Councilman Joey Cehan, who saw the testing Thursday. “But it would start following (the current) to the calm part.”

Local politicians and the inventors said they’re disappointed that testing wasn’t performed in Whiskey Pass in Terrebonne. Through the state, the parish has requested millions for the pipes in Terrebonne and pushed for the testing to be local, said Parish President Michel Claudet.

But the pass was chosen because it has strong currents and has an urgent need for protection, Claudet said.

“What was done at this council ... is the reason they’re getting that in Jefferson Parish right now,” Claudet said. “If it passes in Pass Abel, I can assure you it will be in many, many other places.”

Plans to install the devices in Whiskey Pass, Wine Island Pass and Little Island Pass have been submitted to BP and the Coast Guard, said Jason Kennedy, an engineer at the T. Baker Smith and Son firm in Houma. The firm also plans to lay pipes in other passes near Grand Isle, including 3,000 to 4,000 feet in Caminada Pass.

More than 3,000 barges are available to augment the floating pipeline and can support vacuum trucks, said Druis Lirette, a manager at AEP River Operations in Houma.

The permitting process should be quick, Kennedy said, because the pipes are temporary and can be quickly removed in the event of an approaching hurricane or storm.

<p>HOUMA — At one pass into Barataria Bay, BP and Coast Guard officials are testing a homegrown invention designed to better collect encroaching oil patches from the company's leaking well.</p><p>The Coast Guard and BP could decide as soon as today whether they will use the so-called rigid pipe boom, officials said. The aim is to keep oil from passing through channels into inland bays and marshes, where it's harder to remove and could damage already eroded wetlands.</p><p>Houma oilfield business owner Chet Morrison and engineer Kenny Smith pitched their idea to protect the coast with floating pipeline to BP and federal spill responders in early June, days after presenting their plans to the Terrebonne Parish Council.</p><p>The council endorsed the method and asked BP to put up $100 million to install the protection pipelines. They would be anchored to pilings driven into island passes to narrow the channels. Crude would be funneled into openings in the barricades for collection by skimmers and vacuum trucks on barges. Long curtains can be attached to the bottom of the pipes to deflect and collect underwater oil.</p><p>The testing involved 6,100 feet of boom that has been installed in Pass Coup Abel, south of Barataria Bay and east of Grand Isle.</p><p>“It works in high-velocity areas where the traditional flex boom has not worked,” Smith said, referring to the orange and yellow booms being used in coastal waters.</p><p>Last week, the 36-inch pipe booms were tested by throwing oranges and peanuts into the water, items that mimic the weight and size of oil patches and tar balls, Smith said. </p><p>“You'd think it would roll under the pipe,” said Parish Councilman Joey Cehan, who saw the testing Thursday. “But it would start following (the current) to the calm part.”</p><p>Local politicians and the inventors said they're disappointed that testing wasn't performed in Whiskey Pass in Terrebonne. Through the state, the parish has requested millions for the pipes in Terrebonne and pushed for the testing to be local, said Parish President Michel Claudet.</p><p>But the pass was chosen because it has strong currents and has an urgent need for protection, Claudet said.</p><p>“What was done at this council ... is the reason they're getting that in Jefferson Parish right now,” Claudet said. “If it passes in Pass Abel, I can assure you it will be in many, many other places.”</p><p>Plans to install the devices in Whiskey Pass, Wine Island Pass and Little Island Pass have been submitted to BP and the Coast Guard, said Jason Kennedy, an engineer at the T. Baker Smith and Son firm in Houma. The firm also plans to lay pipes in other passes near Grand Isle, including 3,000 to 4,000 feet in Caminada Pass.</p><p>More than 3,000 barges are available to augment the floating pipeline and can support vacuum trucks, said Druis Lirette, a manager at AEP River Operations in Houma.</p><p>The permitting process should be quick, Kennedy said, because the pipes are temporary and can be quickly removed in the event of an approaching hurricane or storm.</p><p>“We're just waiting on someone to make a decision,” Kennedy said.</p>